TV Tower Alexanderplatz

At 1,207 feet (368 meters), the Fernsehturm, the TV Tower, is the tallest structure in Germany and the quickest way to make sense of how Berlin is put together. From the observation deck, and from the revolving restaurant one level above, you can see that the city has no single downtown: it is flat, wide and made of districts running off in every direction.

The tower went up in the late 1960s as a prestige project of East Germany, which is why it stands in what used to be East Berlin. Locals nicknamed the cross-shaped reflection that appears on the sphere in sunlight the Pope's Revenge. On a clear day the view runs well past the city limits into the surrounding state of Brandenburg.

Book a timed ticket if you can. Lines at the base build through the afternoon and the sunset slots sell out first. The elevator ride to the deck takes about 40 seconds.

The tower rises straight out of Alexanderplatz, where U-Bahn, S-Bahn, tram and regional trains all converge, so it is one of the easiest points in Berlin to reach. Museum Island, the Rotes Rathaus, the red-brick city hall that gives Berlin's government its nickname, and Hackescher Markt are each a 10- to 15-minute walk away.